Appliance for teaching or practicing the game of golf



June 19, 1923. 1,459,705

C. A. H. BULLOCK APPLIANCE FOR TEACHING 0R PRACTICING THE GAME OF GOLF Filed Jan. 6, 1922 6 cm W pww zw mvg Patented June 19, i823.

s ..NHTE rates CHARLES ASHTON HENRY BULLOCK, F-LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNDR 03F ONE-THIRD I inane T0 EDWARD J ..WAR1[NG, OF PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY, AND ONE-THIRD TO WIL- BIIERT EDWARD STRATTON, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

AJPPLIANCE liDB- TEACHING OR PRACTICING THE GAME @F GULF.

Application filed January 6, 1922. Serial llo. 527,325.

made an application in England dated- March 23rd, 1921), of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to appliances for teaching or practicing the game of golf. It is the object of the invention to provide a device which can be attached to the head of a person, this device including a plate with a support thereon for a rod adjustable in angular position. The use of this rod alone is valuable in indicating to the person practicing with the device whether or not his head is kept stationary while making a swing of the arms and body. A further object of the invention however is to combine with this appliance a captive ball suspended preferably in an adjustable :manner from the rod in such a way that the ball may rest on a floor or other surface with the thread or cord just slack so long as the head of the person using the appliance is not raised during the swing, the ball, how ever, being displaced by the thread or cord if at any point in the backward or forward swing the head is lifted. The ball in question may be a soft and light ball, for example a soft woolen ball'such as is commonly designated a pom-pon,-'in order that when struck it shall have no considerable momentum imparted to it owing to its softness and lightness, and shall easily be stopped and brought back by the thread or cord.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which ll iigure 1 indicates the device in use by a player;

Figure 2 is a detail view in plan. of the device itself in one form of construction;

. Figure 3 is a side view corresponding to Figure 2.

Referring first to Figure 1, it will be seen at once how the device is intended to be i used. lln Figure 2 a. is a plate of metal for example to which a bandor strip '6 1s attached, orthrough slots in which such a strip is threaded so as to form a pad at c at the back of the plate a. The band I) may also be of spring steel for example, or any other suitable material. At the ends of the band 7) eyelets a3 are provided, and an elastic band 6 is engaged with such eyelets, the length of such band being adjustable by means of a slide f. The plate a is formed with lugs between which is pivoted a rod k. The rod 72. should work stifily in the lugs so that it can be set frictionally to any an u' lar position upwards or downwards in re atlon to the plate a, but will tend to retain its position unless forciblymoved therefrom. The rod 7:. may conveniently be formed as a pencil or tube of aluminium for the sake of lightness. In the example of construction shown, a sleeve is works frictionally upon the rod, such sleeve for example being a piece of leather sewn around the rod, and to this sleeve is attached a rod fOIIlllllgttll extension to the rod 72, to which is attached a thread or cord Z which passes through an eyelet at m in the end of the rod, and hangs down for a suitable length so as to carry at its end the ball or pom-pen n. By adjusting the slide on the rod h the distance from the eyelet m to the ball a can be adjusted as required according to the height of the person using the device.

The device is applied to the head of the person using the same as indicated in F igure 1, and the rod k can be adjusted in an gular position so. as to extend outwards away from the head to the required extent for positioning the ball hanging from the end of the rodh as at n in Figure 1. This enables the distance of the ball from the feet to be adjusted while the movement of the slide in adjusts the length of the cord Z according to the height of the person. lVhen a swing of the club is made, unless the head is held still with the eyes fixed on the ball, the ball will move and will indicate to the person using the device that the swing is not being made correctly. Even if the backward swing is correct, if the head is moved appreciably before the ball is struck, the ball will not be in position when the, club head passes, and this again will indicate the defect in question.

It will be obviousthat there is an advantage in attaching a cotton or other light l'ti ball to a string and suspending it from the end of the rod, in that a slight movement of the head moves the suspended ball away from its proper position, which demonstrates in an impressive way to the player the importance of holding the head fixed during the address and stroke. The hinged and adjustable rodhas an advantage over under these different conditions.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1.'A device of the class described, comprising a support adapted to be attached to the head of the player, a rod attached at one end to said support, a flexible string attached to the outer end of said rod, and a relatively light ball suspended by and attached to said string.

2. A device of the class described, comprising a support adapted to be attached to the head of the player, a longitudinally adjustable rod, attached at one end to said support, a flexible string attached to the outer end of said rod, and a relatively light ball suspended by and attached to said string.

3. A device of the class described, comprising a support adapted to be attached to the head of the player, a rod adjustably attached at one end to said support, a flexible string attached to the outer end of said rod, and a relatively light ball suspended by and attached to said string.

4. A device of the class described, comprising a support adapted to be attached to the head of the player, a longitudinally adjustable rod hinged at one end to said support, a flexible string attached at the outer .end of said rod, and a relatively light ball suspended by and attached to said string.

CHARLES ASHTON HENRY BULLOCK. 

